Wednesday, November 10, 2010

After months of intense marketing and promotion for “Waiting for ‘Superman,’” and six weeks after it opened to the general public, the initial buzz around the film, in part created by the media, has given way to a more sober and accurate analysis. This is underscored by three recent articles in the New York Review of Books, the Columbia Journalism Review and the New York Times—which are all linked below.

LynNell Hancock, author of the Columbia Journalism Review article, scolds the press for rushing to judgment on the film, and for not having enough background in education issues to know that the film’s solutions are “seductively simple.” Hancock writes that the filmmaker, Davis Guggenheim, does not examine good public schools or public school teachers, and vastly inflates the significance of charter schools by

KATHIE OBRADOVICH • kobradov@dmreg.com • November 4, 2010
There's been a huge party shift in the Iowa Statehouse, but the power center may not have moved very far at all.

There are still a few races left undecided. But if Democrats still hold the Senate majority after the dust settles, Sen. Mike Gronstal, a Council Bluffs Democrat, will remain the most powerful leader in the Legislature.

There are a lot of reasons why he's often been called the de facto governor over the past four years. That comes to an end with the return of Republican former Gov. Terry Branstad. But Gronstal will still have more juice than the victory-flush Republican House leadership. The reason comes down to one little word: no.

The 2010 elections featured 37 Governors races, 37 U.S. Senate contests, 435 U.S. House races, dozens of ballot measures and initiatives, 6,118 state legislative seats in 46 states and myriad local elections across the country. As of this writing, Republicans have picked up at least 60 seats in the House. Republicans also picked up significant seats in the U.S. Senate, but Democrats still have enough seats to control the chamber. There are several races too close to call/likely recounts in both the House and Senate, thus, the ultimate makeup of the 112th Congress will not be known for several more weeks.

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